Entries by Wilson Low

As a cyclist – and moreover a coach and instructor to cyclists – I wanted to enhance my performance and efficiency through increasing my repertoire of exercises and knowledge about functional fitness specific to my sport. So I sought out the experts in this area, who happened to be just down the road.

Nathan Williams is Trainer Manager at UFIT (short for ‘Urban Fitness’), the premier functional fitness studio and boot camp in the Tanjong Pagar CBD area, just a few doors from Athlete Lab Singapore on Amoy Street. He put me through the paces of an introductory movement and mobility class.

For a really challenging workout variation, raise one leg off the floor for any of these exercises. You can either do so for set intervals (eg: 10 seconds on one leg, and swapping every 10 seconds in a 60-second set) or go for a prolonged set where the leg is held up all the way or even moved either vertically or horizontally in a scissoring motion.

If you need help in maintaining your form, do these planks facing a full-length mirror or mirrored wall in a gym or similar workout space

It’s time we tell you why you need to say goodbye to the disco lights and hype of spinning studios and big-brand gym-spin classes.

We look into why riding an actual bicycle, or in this case, an Athlete Lab Adjustabike, offers better training benefits over the typical stationary bike often seen in ‘big-brand name gym’ spinning classes and ‘other indoor cycling studios’. Our system was developed to train Olympic athletes train for gold medals on the track and road so we know it rules but here’s some basic info behind why you should be in the Lab:

Winning the watts game: more than just blind grinding… it’s understanding the key differences between dynamic, outside road conditions and the controlled, almost clinical environment that indoor interval sessions afford.

“Saved up and got that powermeter finally. How do I go about using it on my outdoor rides now? I want to know, at a basic level, the most important data point when looking at outside/road-derived data and the indoor session-derived data, and how to utilize it.”

- Samuel, who recently bought and installed a powermeter on his road bike

These five dynamic stretching exercises are meant to be done over a short distance, alternating each side / each foot, moving forward for a distance of 8-15 metres. Do 2 reps of this distance per exercise.

These exercises only require basic balance to complete, and are a more effective addition to a warm-up routine than static stretching. Check out the pictures accompanying the directions on how to do each stretch.

The two key words to successful stage racing are ‘pacing’ and ‘recovery’. Laying it all on the line for a single day’s effort and ignoring the post finish-line condition of rider and equipment is no longer viable for the budding stage racer. Here we share 4 pointers that will come in handy, whether you’re a first-timer or a seasoned campaigner.

Spring is upon us and cycling fans will be all over the news updates about the professional cycling calender’s ‘Spring Classics’ – one-day bike races that often take place in volatile spring weather. Combine nasty riding conditions (dust, wind, mud, rain), tough terrain (short, rolling hills, the ubiquitous cobblestones), and massive distances (upwards of 200km) and you get a special breed of cycle races that can be won only by a special breed of cyclists.

Apart from learning tips from your friends or more experienced athletes make sure to ask us questions about how to train or why we do skills, drills, and emphasize certain aspects of fitness and performance over others.